MLB: A's win 12-3 to split series with Rangers

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers have gotten to know each other better this month — as in seven meetings in 11 days.

Last-place Oakland won five of those games and put a big damper on Texas' wild-card hopes in the process.

Jack Cust homered to help rookie Brett Anderson win his fourth straight start, Cliff Pennington hit a two-run triple and the A's salvaged a split of their four-game series against the Rangers with a 12-3 rout Thursday.

Eric Patterson drove in three runs, Adam Kennedy doubled twice among his three hits and Rajai Davis had an RBI triple in a balanced offensive attack for Oakland, which sent the Rangers to just their second loss in their last seven road games.

The A's swept a three-game series at Texas from Sept. 14-16.

"It's nice to have guys up and down the lineup swinging the bat well," A's manager Bob Geren said. "There are a lot of guys in our lineup now who can run. It's fun, an exciting group. We're utilizing every different which way."

Anderson (11-10), who has struggled for run support much of the year, allowed three runs, one earned, and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. He improved to 8-3 over his last 16 starts.

It had to be nice to receive all that offense for a change.

"We're getting guys on base and we're getting hits when we need to," Patterson said. "Usually when you're winning games, it's because you're doing things like that."

Anderson's strikeout of Craig Gentry to start the third was his 142nd, moving him past Rick Langford for most by a rookie in Oakland history. Langford struck out 141 in 1977.

"It's pretty special considering some of the great guys who have made their debuts in this uniform," Anderson said.

Anderson also leads major league rookies in Ks. He received a standing ovation when he was replaced by Brad Ziegler with two runners on in the sixth.

David Murphy and Chris Davis each singled in a run for the Rangers, who couldn't do enough to back Scott Feldman on a day when the right-hander didn't have his best stuff.

"They're playing good baseball. We thought we had a chance to take three out of the four," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "Coming in that was the worst I felt we had to do."

The Rangers, who had won three of five following a five-game skid, were trying to earn consecutive wins for the first time since they won three straight from Sept. 8-9 at Cleveland, which included a doubleheader sweep.